The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly shopping linebacker Justin Houston, who was once one of the most feared pass-rushers in the league just a few seasons ago.
Sources: The #Chiefs have had trade talks centered around star pass-rusher Justin Houston. With Houston’s cap number and the potential to franchise tag Dee Ford, Houston appears to be a rare top pass-rusher available. Teams have been calling with real interest.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2019
With the fantastic season linebacker Dee Ford had in 2018, the team will most likely use their franchise tag on him heading into the 2019 season. Houston is also a great player, but his production has taken a dip over the last couple of seasons mostly due to injury.
Houston was the NFL's sack leader in 2014 with 22.0 sacks and was rightfully named first team All-Pro that same season. Unfortunately, since his career season, Houston has not reached double-digit sacks and has struggled to stay on the field.
The Chiefs need Houston or at least another player like him to complement the elite offense and hope to retain any kind of relevancy on the defensive side of the ball. Houston may not be up to par with his previous numbers, but his ability to wreck an offense's day is still there.
With Ford and the emergence of defensive end Chris Jones, the Chiefs have a solid pass rush, but in the NFL it takes more than one or two players. Considering the Chiefs have one of the most vulnerable secondaries in the league, the pass rush was really the only thing working for them in 2018.
The offense is elite and that's well documented, but it's the defense that the Chiefs desperately need to address while their championship window is open.
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